


Forget About The Past

by BarnaboysWilloughby (SheriffsLop)



Series: The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !! [2]
Category: The Willoughbys, The Willoughbys (2020)
Genre: Babies, Dad Tim Willoughby, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Healthy Relationships, It might slowly be gaining plot ??, Jane and Tim adjusting to being parents, Mom Jane Willoughby, Multi, One Shot Collection, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Life Partners, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU, Uncle Baranbys, domestic partnerships, parenting, platonic coparenting, platonic weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:33:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27021301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheriffsLop/pseuds/BarnaboysWilloughby
Relationships: Barnaby A./Original Female Character, Barnaby B./Original Female Character, Nanny/Commander Melanoff, The Willoughby Siblings, Tim & Jane, Tim Willoughby/Original Female Character (Past)
Series: The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961206
Kudos: 6





	1. Welcome Home

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕆𝕟𝕖 :

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 ℍ𝕠𝕞𝕖

◟ ◞

Tim carried the car – seat into the house as Jane took her time to get inside. She was still leaking amniotic fluids that had built up during her pregnancy, so every step she took would feel like she was peeing her pants. No wonder the hospital insisted she wear the heavy duty incontinence pads and mesh underwear – it was like she needed an adult diaper herself.

“You need any help back there ?” Tim asked.

Jane shook her head as she finally made it up the stairs and shivered. She would need to change out everything soon. Is this was babies felt like when their diaper was full ? No wonder they cried so much !!

Tim set the car – seat down on the couch, before Smokey and Grandpa got onto the couch to see what was inside the little seat. Smokey batted at the cover that shielded the baby from the sun and Grandpa sniffed the handle before he rubbed his face against it to get his scent on it, since it had since disappeared from the chair as it went to the hospital.

“This is the newest part of our family, guys,” Tim soothed. “This is Taffeta.”

Jane flipped the cover over to reveal their baby, as she was bundled up in a comfy blanket Ruth had bought ( both for the baby as a welcoming gift, and as an apology for getting on top of the vending machine, declaring herself as the Candy Overlord, and calling the police officers ‘ditzy twats’. ) for her. Jane untucked the blanket before she unbuckled Taffeta from the car – seat and lifted her gently from the seat and into her arms.

Jane sat down on the couch, to allow the cats to get acquainted with the new baby, so they didn’t get upset when Jane had to hold Taffeta, or didn’t perceive her as a threat to Jane, regardless of if she cried in the middle of the night or when she would squeeze onto Jane.

The cats gathered around and sniffed at her little feet and her tiny hands, before they jolted away as Taffeta squirmed to adjust for comfort. They went back in for a second try, and sniffed along her arms and legs. Smokey was the first to take a stronger initiative, as he got onto Jane’s arm and put his face up to Taffeta’s for a sniff.

“Whoa, Smokey, be gentle !!” Jane exclaimed. “She’s a baby, she can’t handle you being on top of her !!”

He seemed to understand, as he backed off. He then planted a soft lick against the beanie Taffeta wore, and Grandpa followed suit, as he licked her hand.

Taffeta jerked her hand away and suckled the air as she turned to Jane.

“Do you think she’s hungry ?” Tim asked.

“No, she’s just sleeping,” Jane reassured. “It’s not time for her to eat yet.”

“Want me to get a bottle, just in case ?” he asked.

“It might be too cold by the time she’s actually hungry,” Jane explained. “And you can’t reheat a bottle or it’ll curdle and make her sick.”

“Let’s show her around,” Tim insisted. “Then she’ll be familiarized with the house.”

It’s not like she really needed to be, since she was barely awake more than maybe two hours total a day, and her eyes aren’t fully adjusted to the world yet ( it was quite funny when she’d open her eyes and they’d face two different directions before she got them into focus – she still couldn’t recognize faces quite yet, but they knew she’d get there eventually, but for now, she preferred to look at lights or where sound came from ), but it wouldn’t hurt but to indulge Tim for a little bit.

“Do you want to carry her ?” Jane asked.

Tim nodded before he started to walk around the living room with her, before he went to show her his desk.

“This is where your poppa works on days that he has to bring home a little bit of work,” he told her. “It has all of his important work stuff on it, and I think I’d really appreciate that you don’t touch my work things when you get older, because that’s what puts money in the bank.”

Jane giggled at him, as he showed her pictures on his desk of a few moments in time, like the last Easter all the Willoughby siblings had spent together, which was quite a few years back. A. was still with Fannie Martinelli, and Tim took the liberty of clipping her out of the picture. Luckily she was at the end, so he didn’t cut anyone important out of the picture, except, maybe A.’s arm.

He took her to the T.V next, but he didn’t turn it on. It would probably be too overwhelming for a four – day – old baby anyways. He put his hand on top of it, which normally he would’ve freaked out if anyone else did it, due to the nature of wanting to keep the house clean, and that meant no fingerprints on the glass or surfaces.

“This is the T.V, where your momma and poppa watch our favorite shows,” he explained. “Like ‘Bachelorette In Paradise’ or ‘Keepin’ It Real’. We’ve been wanting to watch ‘Welcome To Mormontown’ too, but sometimes we’re too sleepy or we get too busy. Maybe you’ll have favorite shows someday.”

He then adjusted Taffeta in his arms, so she could face the pictures on the wall of the maternity pictures. If they had the artwork from the old House Willoughby, those portraits would be up too, and he would be there for hours to tell her about her great – great uncle Edmund, or her great – great – great aunt Alistair ( a pirate who sailed the seven seas and is rumored to have evidence of the existence of mermaids ). All they had was their family picture, but it was enough to tell her the history of what they’ve been through.

“This is a picture of our family,” he clarified. “It has me, your uncles, and your momma.”

He smiled as she wriggled in her sleep.

“We might not be as great as the Willoughbys of the past, but I think we’ve done some pretty great things – At least, I’d say we have,” he claimed. “We’re not adventurers or kings, or anything like that, but I’ve become an esquire for a huge company, and that’s a really big responsibility. Your Uncle A. likes to fix cars and things, and he’s super handy; even though he’s a bit of a jerk sometimes, he really likes to help people, even if it’s in little ways. Your Uncle B. knows a lot about art, and he has a brain big enough to know almost everything about an artistic piece you hand him, he’s smart, and he loves to share his knowledge of the world with others, and you don’t meet a lot of people that like to do that anymore.”

Jane shook her head and chuckled to herself. If the twins were here, they would surely make fun of Tim for saying such sweet and sappy things about them, but she knew that deep down, they’d be flattered to hear someone speak so highly of them. If she was being honest, those guys deserved to be praised.

“I mean, I haven’t done much with my life, and I’ve messed up more than I’d ever want to tell you, but I’m trying everyday to get better, to be the poppa you really deserve –“ he was cut off by Jane.

“Don’t listen to him, Taffeta, he has done a lot with his life,” Jane said. “He was a great student in school even though he sucks at math – nobody’s perfect, you know. He was part of the student council, because your poppa has a gift of organization, and even though he’s a little awkward at times, he’s good with people. Your poppa is way stronger than he gives himself credit for, because even when he messes up, he gets back up and fixes it. He’s been my rock for a very long time, and . . . I barely even tell him, b - because I don’t want him to start crying over it.”

“Looks like momma’s about to cry,” he teased. “I guess she’s kind of okay too.”

She laughed and nudged him softly, so he didn’t stumble over and fall with the baby in his hands.

“Okay, she’s actually pretty great too, one of the greatest, in my own personal opinion,” he claimed.

“Oh god, don’t,” Jane whined.

“No, no, she is great, she just hates to hear how great she is,” he continued. “For some reason, she doesn’t believe it herself.”

“Stop it !!” she laughed.

“Your momma is a strong and independent woman that don’t need no man,” Tim teased. “But seriously, she is one of the strongest women that I’ve ever met. She knows when to use her head, which many people don’t know how to do. One thing a lot of people don’t know about her is that she has a soft side – a really soft side.”

“Oh, whatever,” Jane dismissed. “I do not have a soft side !!”

“She likes to sing, she always has, but she acts like she grew out of it, because she’s an adult that’s too good for it,” Tim continued. “I sing too, sometimes, but I’m not very good at it. Think of it this way, Taffeta, you don’t have to be very good at something to enjoy it a whole lot.”

“Please, don’t start to sing,” she begged.

Tim gave her a devious smirk, and rocked Taffeta in his arms, as he walked to the dining room.

“ _Rock – A – Bye Baby_ , _on the tree top_ ,” he started. “ _When the wind blows_ , _the cradle will fall_ . . .”

Jane cringed, playfully, of course, at his singing. It wasn’t awful, like she always teased him about, but he also sang a lullaby, which you have to sing quietly and gently, so the baby wouldn’t realize how messed up the lyrics were. She shook her head at his originality, because most parents sang the select few, but Jane’s song came from her heart. It always had, which was why the song was so special.

“ _Down will come baby_ . . .” Tim finished. “ _Cradle and all_.”

Tim got down on his knees so Taffeta was eye level ( though she was fast asleep, and couldn’t see a thing ) with the wooden table that they had been gifted by Lars and Celeste those few months ago.

“This is our dining room table,” Tim explained. “It’s shiny, because momma insists we keep a plastic cover on it, so no food gets onto the table and no spills stain the wood. Poppa thought it would look better with an actual table cloth, but momma said that the wooden table has character, so we show let people actually see it. You were in her belly at the time, and the pregnant woman’s always right, you know.”

Jane laughed at the statement. Any time he would argue with her, especially during her fourth trimester, she would tell him that the pregnant woman is always right, and he would do nearly anything for her. He did nearly anything for her anyways, but being pregnant surely helped her case out a lot more. When she craved baozi this one time, she was in actual tears, because she wanted it so bad. Tim picked her up some baozi on his way back from work, even through it was a twenty minute drive out of his way, and brought it to her, and she cried again, because rarely were people that nice to her. Tim was perfect, a perfect brother, a perfect life partner, a perfect father – figure – she wouldn’t know what to do without him.

She took Taffeta from his arms and allowed for him to get up from the ground.

“Want me to carry her ?” Jane asked.

“Do you want to carry her ?” he asked. “I could carry her until we get up the stairs, because I know that every time you use even a little bit of stairs, all that fluid leaks into that pad, and I’d rather you not have a baby rash at the age of twenty – seven.”

Jane shrugged her shoulders before he took Taffeta from her. He had a point. She would surely leak up the stairs, and they would probably have to stop for her to change her stuff, so she didn’t walk around with a full . . . you know ?

They went into the kitchen, and Tim made a few rounds, as he chattered away about the various meals he cooked, where all the dishes were, how the dishwasher worked, where all the cat supplies ( minus the dry food, that they kept under the stairs ), before he went on about Smokey and Grandpa.

“Smokey is our blue kitty, and we’ve had him for years, ever since we were kids,” Tim clarified. “He’s pretty old now, but even for an old guy, he’s still kicking. Sometimes he has to take CBD drops, because he’s a little . . . angry at times. He’ll have his bad days, where he scratches and bites people, but we all have our bad days. **_Poppa_** has **_bad_** **_days_** , **_momma_** has **_bad_** **_days_** , the **_cats_** have **_bad_** **_days_** – maybe **_you’ll_** even have **_bad_** **_days_**.”

He lifted Taffeta closer to his face, before he nuzzled their noses together softly, in a little bunny kiss.

“But the thing about bad days, is that you have a **_family_** that **_wants_** to help you get through them, whether that means crying it out or snuggling until you feel okay again,” he claimed. “We don’t leave eachother **_alone_** on our bad days, because even if the bad days are really **_hard_** , we’d rather **_deal_** with hard bad days **_together_** , than leave eachother alone to deal with the bad days by ourselves.”

Jane came up from behind him and put her arms around him, because that was very true. When Jane had a bad day, Tim did all the household chores, and had a bag of Ham Bros. and a milkshake for her when she got home. When she knew Tim had a bad day, she lets him lay on her, cuddle, hug, and cry for as long as he needed until he felt better again. When their cats had a bad day, they gave them their medications, before they bundled them up and laid them in their beds, with unlimited wet food service. At the end of a bad day, they all knew they weren’t alone, because they had people to come home to that made their bad days a little better.

“See, momma really does have a soft side,” he teased.

“Oh, shut up,” she chuckled. “Keep taking her on the guided tour of House Willoughby.”

She let go of him, and allowed him to go up the stairs, as she followed behind. Jane held her stomach as she felt the fluids slosh inside of her, before they leaked into her underwear. She grimaced at the feeling of that. It felt like she full on peed her pants, luckily the pad was on to catch it.

Tim waited at the top of the stairs, and watched as Jane made her way up.

“You need any help ?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she reassured. “You go on without me, I have to go and change my pad, or else I’m going to leak all over the floor. It’s like changing an adult diaper. I wish someone told me about this **_before_** I got pregnant.”

Normally, to Jane, when she was out in public, or listened to other mom friends complain about ‘I wish they told me this’, she would feel annoyance, but she was unsure if it was towards the other moms or herself. Jane actually chose to get pregnant, so there could be a possible reason of why she was annoyed. She knew all the things that could potentially happen – the fluids that would leak, the fact that her feet swole up during her last few months of pregnancy, sometimes the morning sickness would be so bad, she had to stay in the bathroom for a solid hour, whether or not she vomited. However, not all other moms fell pregnant on purpose, but in Jane’s mind, every mom had a few options, but of course she couldn’t say that to other moms. Even Jane, now that she was a mother herself, felt bad about bringing up the alternative, because now that Taffeta was here, she couldn’t imagine a life without her.

Tim took Taffeta into his bedroom, that was still barely touched since they moved in, and placed Taffeta on the bed. She was awfully tiny in comparison to the giant bed that Tim was supposed to sleep in, and he realized for the millionth time since the minute he first saw her, how tiny she was compared to him. She truly was a little lima bean – his little lima bean.

He laid on the bed next to her and curled up slightly, as she napped right next to him. Her skin was soft and pale ( a little yellow, but Doctor Csupo said that it was normal for babies to be a little yellow for the first month or two, because their skin isn’t used to the sun yet ) and bright pink veins showed in her tiny, little, pudgy hands. He questioned how fingernails could be that small, or how feet could be so tiny. Her socks still barely fit, which was still incredibly bizarre to Tim, since his feet haven’t grown at all in the past eight years and his socks still ripped.

Her hair looked like it was god sent, as it looked like it was strands given to her by clouds or something. He could barely see her scalp, and noticed she had a little cow – lick in the back, much like his own. He wondered what a baby would look like if he were to have been able to have one with Queen, would they have looked this perfect ? He couldn’t see another baby as perfect and wonderful as the one that laid next to him, even if he didn’t make her on his own. She was his baby, and nobody could convince him otherwise.

Tim slid his finger into her hand, and she grasped it before she pulled his hand to her body. His hand accentuated her tininess, as it was the same size as her torso. He gasped quietly as she held it against her chest. It seemed no matter how many times she did that, it still melted his heart and kind of made him want to bawl like a baby himself.

“I would give you the entire world,” he whispered. “God, you’re the most precious little thing.”

Jane peeked into the room before she went and laid on the other side of them. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at their daughter, curled up with Tim’s hand, as content and as sleepy as a baby could be. For the past few nights, she has been a really good baby. She slept most of the day, and only cried when she was hungry or needed her diaper changed, but they had set a schedule the second day in the hospital and have stuck to it religiously ever since. If she missed a nap or a feeding, they knew it would be a rough day for all of them. Fortunately, she was so tuckered out by you know . . . existing ?

“Whatcha’ doin’ ?” she asked.

“Just looking at her,” he answered. “Seeing how perfect she is.”

“She’s amazing, isn’t she ?” Jane asked. “Even when she’s sleeping, she somehow makes us happy.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “That really takes some skill.”

Tim laughed softly to himself. It was like he knew this was going to happen.

“I picked ‘Joy’ for a reason,” he teased. “I can’t think of anything else that her name could’ve possibly been.”

“Me either, well . . .” Jane paused for a moment. “I thought about ‘Lavender Noxzema Arpeggio Willoughby’ when I was about a month in but –“

“That name would be a freaking mouthful for an adult,” Tim laughed. “Much less a tiny little thing like her.”

“What if I had triplets ?” Jane asked. “Then I could’ve named one of them each of those names, but that would be . . .”

“A mother’effing nightmare,” both siblings chorused.

“Eew !!” Jane exclaimed. “Don’t do that !!”

“Ugh, we sounded like the twins !!” Tim laughed.

“Hi mommy,” they both chorused again.

Jane and Tim both groaned before they howled in laughter at eachother. Maybe the myth was true ? If two people spend a lot of time around eachother, maybe they do start to function on the same level. It sure seemed that Patience and A. could telepathically communicate sometimes, just like A. and B. could.

They looked down at Taffeta, as she stirred lightly in her sleep before she opened her derpy, little wall eyes and adjusted them in an attempt to focus on Tim and Jane momentarily before she shut them once again and squeezed Tim’s finger.

“Do you think she’ll always do that ?” Tim asked. “Well, do you think her eyes will always do that ?”

Jane giggled at his concern before she shook her head and put her hand atop his.

“No,” she answered. “Babies do that because they aren’t used to seeing anything outside of the womb. Their ocular lobe in their brains aren’t fully formed, so they don’t quite know how to use their eyes – or something like that. I don’t think we have anything to worry about when it comes to her vision.”

“Okay, good,” he sighed. “I mean, we’d still get her all the help she needs; glasses, braces, hearing aids, all that stuff.”

“Doctor Csupo said her hearing’s doing just fine,” Jane reassured. “I don’t think we’ll be needing anything like hearing aids – I hope we don’t. I want her to live a full and happy life, and not have to struggle with being blind, or deaf, or wheelchair bound.”

“If she ends up being any of those things, we’ll make her as comfortable as we possibly can,” Tim claimed. “It wouldn’t be something she could help, or we could stop, so all we can do is help her live her life to the best ability and support her in whatever she does.”

Jane sighed at the thought. She would feel awful if Taffeta couldn’t live like the other kids, especially if it were something as awful as blindness, deafness, if she were to become a paraplegic. Don’t get Jane wrong, she knew people like that enjoyed their lives – Lars Vinderstromm was living proof. Even with the money to get a cochlear implant, he still chooses to live everyday as a deaf man, because he doesn’t mind it too much, and the money they could save on a cochlear implant could be used for their son. Maybe Jane should think of it that way, instead of something devastating and horrifying. No matter what, Taffeta was still her daughter, and even if she didn’t function exactly the same as other kids, that didn’t make her a monster or anything.

“Do we have a history of anything like that in the family ?” Jane asked.

Tim looked up from their daughter and rose an eyebrow. They must’ve struck a chord there, because Jane would always begrudgingly listen to when he would ramble about their family history, but she rarely asked questions unless she was concerned about something.

“Well, great – great – great – great – great grandpa Halbert ended up getting his legs amputated due to a war among kingdoms, but he still lived a good few weeks afterwards, until gangrene ate up his body – but it was the seventeen – hundreds, what could you do ?” he explained. “Great – great – great Aunt Wilhelmina went blind in both of her eyes, after an accident of handling porcupines out in the wild, and she went on to live a good life, and even grew out a killer Wild – West looking mustache.”

“Do you think Taffeta will get a mustache ?” Jane asked. “And if she did, do you think she’d keep it ?”

“I’m sure she’s going to be fully capable of it, she is your daughter after all, and if she’s anything like you, she’ll be rocking a mustache by the time she’s ten, like you did,” he claimed. “But, if she doesn’t . . . that’s okay too.”

“I’m honestly glad I got rid of mine, I know it’s symbolic of our family’s greatness, but still, I hated when I’d get upper lip sweat,” she claimed. “And you don’t need a mustache to be a great Willoughby, in my opinion. You’re pretty great, even if your lip will forever remain bare.”

Tim smiled as he rocked Taffeta lightly by her torso.

“So much for the guided tour,” he joked. “You think we should lay her in her bassinet and see how she does in it ? We could set up the co – sleeper in the bed too, just in case she doesn’t want to lay in the bassinet tonight, and would rather lay with us.”

“I honestly think I’d rather have her co – sleep, at least until she’s a little older,” Jane commented. “It’s weird saying that, I never thought I’d ever want a baby in the bed with me, but I guess she’s cute enough for me to make an exception.”

“Aw, am I cute enough to be in the bed ?” he chided.

“You’re not in there by my choice !!” Jane laughed. “You got in one night and you won’t leave. I would kick you into your own room if I could !!”

“What I’m hearing is that I’m cute enough to sleep in the bed too,” he teased. “Thank you, Jane. In return, you’re cute enough to be in this bed, even if you do drool a little bit in your sleep.”

“ ** _You_** drool in your sleep,” she corrected. “The other day, I woke up and your poor pillow was absolutely freaking **_soaked_**.”

“I can’t help that I work hard to provide for this family !!” he exclaimed. “It’s exhausting having to talk to people I don’t like all day !! If I could zip Rick from Marketing’s mouth shut, I would. The other day, he sat over there and talked to me about being a dad, how I need to prepare for it, and it is the most boring conversation I have ever had. I know how babies work.”

“I hate talking to other moms,” Jane agreed. “I would even get advice from random women on the street, about how I’m supposed to parent. Mind your own business, Susan. I wasn’t asking. One time, this lady came up and grabbed my stomach, before she talked to me about ‘what a gift I was carrying in my belly’.”

Tim cringed at the situation. He hated when people would come up and grab Jane while they were in public. She wasn’t a doll or a toy, she was a person, and you shouldn’t touch anyone without their permission. It is so disrespectful and honestly, borderline creepy.

“Don’t like that,” he agreed. “Don’t people get that they’re touching **_you_** and **_not_** the baby ?”

“I guess not, I hated when women would do that,” Jane continued. “I once poked this lady in the eye because she tried to lift up my dress so she could touch the baby. First of all, I was trying to get her cousin a wedding dress, and you could tell that the poor bride was so embarrassed by that.”

“She lifted your dress ?” he asked. “Do people just not have common sense anymore ? Your underwear would’ve been showing and what if you weren’t wearing any ?”

Jane bit the inside of her cheek and knitted her eyebrows.

“All pregnant women wear underwear,” she claimed. “You still leak weird stuff while you’re pregnant, but I see where you’re coming from. Everything would just be out. The bride’s poor dad would’ve seen far more of me than he wanted to see that day, and he was already uncomfortable with me being pregnant on the job.”

“People get uncomfortable by pregnant people ?” Tim asked. “Pregnant women are beautiful !! It’s rare to see working pregnant women anymore.”

“It used to be very taboo for pregnant women to embrace that they were pregnant,” Jane explained. “Women used to hide it for as long as they possibly could. We’ve come a long way with the acceptance of women being pregnant, but there’s still people out there that aren’t as accepting. I mean, he could stuff it for all I cared, I was bringing home the bacon regardless of whether or not I’m pregnant.”

Tim chuckled at the statement. The last month of Jane’s pregnancy was a hectic one, because while Tim encouraged her to take the whole month off ( both siblings made a good income, and Tim could easily support the family by himself ), she didn’t want to leave her girls for so long, and so suddenly. She arranged for Clementine to temporarily take over Willow’s duties until she came back, and Candace took care of Jane’s.

“I still don’t get it, you looked beautiful throughout the whole pregnancy,” he claimed. “Even now, after you dumped half the amniotic fluid into your pants.”

“Wait, like right now ?” she asked.

She looked down to see a giant wet spot in her sweatpants before she groaned and got off the bed, which leaked more onto the ground. She pouted after she groaned even more.

“Ugh, Tim !!” she whined.

He got up from the bed and held Taffeta in one arm, before he bent down and grabbed Jane with his other one. She grabbed the baby from him and settled, bridal style, in his arms as he carried her down the hallway, and set her down at the door to the bathroom.

She went to go and change from sweatpants to pajama pants, while Tim set Taffeta down in her bassinet.

He left the room, before he went to the nursery, and got the co – sleeper from the closet, and brought it back, to see that Smokey and Grandpa had both settled in the bassinet, each with a paw wrapped around her.

“Guys, you shouldn’t be in there while the baby’s in there !!” he scolded. “Shoo.”

He reached down to try and get the cats out of the bassinet, where Taffeta slept, to avoid one of them accidentally smothering her.

Smokey began to growl, before he used his paw to reach forward, and he struck Tim, before he hissed.

“Smokey !!” Tim exclaimed. “I will get the spray bottle, mister !!”

Jane came out of the bathroom, before she looked at the cats in the bassinet with Taffeta. She giggled before she reached in and grabbed their daughter with ease.

“Were you two just showing her how to use the bassinet ?” Jane asked.

Tim furrowed his brows and had his mouth slightly agape as he motioned towards both cats, as they exited the bassinet to join Jane on the bed.

“What ?” he asked. “How ?”

“They’re probably just protective of their new lil’ sister,” Jane cooed. “Maybe they thought you were going to hurt her or something.”

Tim got in the bed and shook his head, as he looked down at Smokey, who looked back at him, content, like he didn’t just scratch the living shit out of Tim’s hand.

“You conniving, little jerk.”


	2. Family Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❇ || Howdy guys !! I'm sorry most of my updates have been formatted all wonky, but Microsoft Word is being a huge pain in my ass !! I hope you guys can ignore the formatting and enjoy the content of the work !! After the last chapter of ' Stay By Your Side ', we totally needed a patch - me - up fluff chapter !! We could all agree on that, right ? 😘🥰

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣  𝕋𝕨𝕠 :

𝔽𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘

◟ ◞

Jane walked around the kitchen as she bounced Taffeta in her arms. It had been a rather stressful day for everyone, as most people knew that Tim wasn’t the true biological father of Taffeta  ( it’s not like they kept it a secret. They’d rather tell the story over and over and over than have people assume that something  **_ else  _ ** was the case. Both siblings were quite sure  **_ that  _ ** was  **_ illegal  _ ** anyways. ), so Tim had to fill out paperwork, before he finally flipped to another packet of paper.

“ **_ Ugh _ ** ,  **_ what  _ ** ? ” he groaned.

Jane came into the living room as she rocked Taffeta in her arms and shushed her. She had been particularly fussy that day, but she had also been in her car – seat most of the day, as Tim and Jane discussed everything with their lawyer. It was a lot of room pacing and bouncing in office chairs to soothe their little baby, as both of them had to piece together the information their lawyer told them, and why Tim had to fill out so much paperwork to get onto the birth certificate. They even had to run a D.N.A test on Tim and Taffeta  ( the poor baby  **_ screamed  _ ** the entire  time ) , to prove that she was  **_ not  _ ** a product of incest.

“What  happened ? ” she asked.

“You might want to sit down for this,” he claimed.

“Yeah, that isn’t happening,” Jane responded. “If I sit down with her, she’s going to start screeching again, and at this point in the day, we can both agree that isn’t the outcome we want the night to be.”

“They want us to  **_ legally  _ ** enter a domestic partnership,” Tim explained.

“And that  entails ? ” Jane asked.

“It’s basically all the benefits of legal marriage without the title of being legally married,” Tim clarified. “A bunch of years back, LGBTQ+ couples had to do them. Great – great aunt Heather and great – great aunt Eunice were one of the first Willoughby couples that went through with a domestic partnership, because gay marriage wasn’t legal yet.”

“Oh god, we better not tell the twins,” Jane groaned. “Then we’ll never hear the end of those disgusting jokes !!”

“Well, at least we have a D.N.A test to prove that I didn’t make Taffeta myself,” Tim sighed. “That is if my medical records that explain in full detail that my baby making parts don’t make babies isn’t enough for people.”

“’They say slim to none.’” Jane mocked. “Look, if you and Queen tried for almost a year with no luck, then people should seriously doubt you’d knock me up on the first try.”

Tim cringed at the thought, because who would want to think of  that ? He shuttered as he pushed the feeling of discomfort down. He turned in his office chair and leaned back.

“I hated being married, at least for the last year of it all,” he commented. “What makes them think I want to do this all over  again ? I wish it didn’t involve a lot of paperwork to be a parent for people like me.”

“Well, isn’t it all worth it ?” Jane asked.

He smiled and shrugged. She had a point. If all this paperwork, and this stupid domestic partnership thing was what was going to make him Taffeta’s poppa officially and forever. It was kind of worth it. Okay, who was he  kidding ? It was totally worth every hour of the night spent on forums. He was truly going to achieve his dream of being a father to a child, even though she wasn’t the true fruit of his loins. She was the fruit of his heart, and that was enough for both Willoughby siblings / parents.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I guess you’re right.”

She smiled and flipped her hair with a swift head turn, as to not wake Taffeta.

“I know I’m right,” she teased.

Tim’s phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket before he saw that it was  A.. He answered his brother’s call, and put the phone to his ear.

“Hello ?”

“Hey Tim, what are you doing ?”

Tim looked at his paperwork, before he looked back into the kitchen.

“Filling out paperwork,” he commented. “They want me to fill out a bunch of paperwork so I can go on the birth certificate as Taffeta’s father. They won’t just put me on there, because she’s not biologically mine, and they tried to make me fill out adoption paperwork, but I wasn’t going to do that, and Jane was not going to go and look for Taffeta’s sperm donor, or put Troy down as her father.”

“Because Troy isn’t her father,” Jane justified. “Jackass never did anything to help me, or her.”

“It’s a bunch of  horsecrap ,” Tim sighed. “They had me take a D.N.A test and now I have to fill out domestic partnership pap . . . errs . . .”

He looked to Jane to apologize, since he had let the information slip to the one it shouldn’t have slipped to. It wasn’t because they didn’t love A., but now they knew they were going to be subjected to the dreaded jokes a plenty, especially when he told B. the news.

“Why did you tell  him ? ” she mouthed.

“I’m tired,  okay ? ” Tim mouthed back.

“ **_ Domestic  _ ** **_ partnership  _ ** ? ” A. asked. “So, like, you and Jane are  **_ kind  _ ** **_ of  _ ** getting  married ? ”

He started to laugh what resembled a pity laugh due to the irony of the situation, before he couldn’t help but to erupt in shrieky, howling laughter at the entire thing.

“Patience !!” A. called on the other end. “Tim and Jane are domestic partners  **_ legally  _ ** now !!”

Then, they heard Patience start to laugh alongside her husband, in the same screaming, obnoxious way he did. They heard her footsteps as she came to stand next to A..

“ Y’all are basically  **_ married  _ ** now !!” she howled. “After  **_ all  _ ** this time of  y’all gettin' so **_ upset  _ ** over the jokes and junk, now  y’all have to become  **_ domestic  _ ** **_ partners  _ ** ? That’s  **_ hysterical  _ ** !!”

Both Tim and Jane stared at  eachother , as Tim put A. and Patience on speakerphone.

“ **_ God _ ** , if you’re out there -” A. paused so he could continue laughing. “It’s Barnaby Alan Willoughby, and I know I claimed to be religiously ambiguous, but I was  **_ wrong _ ** ,  **_ so  _ ** **_ wrong _ ** !! **_ Do with me as you wish _ ** !!”

“Oh my  **_ gosh _ ** , I  **_ cannot believe  _ ** -” Patience squeaked and squealed in giggles. “ **_ When’s the weddin’ _ ** ?”

“ **_ There’s no wedding _ ** !!” Jane exclaimed.

Taffeta began to whimper and her cries began to build up due to Jane’s voice, and Jane bounced her in her arms, as she hushed her back into a sleep.

“Look at what those idiots did,” she whispered.

“Oh, c’mon Jane, wouldn’t a weddin’ be fun ?” Patience asked.

“What’s the point of having one when we’re not getting  married ? ” Tim asked. “We have to do this so I can legally be put on the birth certificate. It’s not that I want to do this.”

“Think of it this way,” A. claimed. “It’s a way of publicly showing that you’re always going to be there for your family. We could always plan the wedding part, and you guys won’t have to do a thing !!”

“I don’t know,” Jane commented. “I think it’s just . . .  **_ too much. _ ** ”

“ **_ Please _ ** , let us plan your fake wedding !!” A. begged. “Being an adult is so  **_ boring _ ** . I’m  **_ bored  _ ** !!”

“One of the  **_ best  _ ** **_ parts  _ ** of  bein ’ an adult is  goin ’ to a  weddin ’ !!” Patience exclaimed. “You get to dress up and look all  fancy !! You get to dance, and eat as much food as you can stuff your face  with !! It’s like prom, but for grown –  ups !! I didn’t get to go to my prom back in  highschool , my daddy’s momma got real sick, so we had to take care of her, Sabrina said I would’ve loved it.”

Jane grimaced before she looked at Tim.

Both siblings knew that they would not be able to get Patience and A. off their backs about a fake wedding, and if they were both being honest, their envision of how A. and Patience’s wedding was  going to go wasn’t the one that came to fruition.

“Fine . . .” Tim sighed.

“But we don’t want this huge, fancy thing,” Jane reminded. “Just a small event for the family, like an intimate get together, maybe like a backyard barbeque at your place, or something.”

“ Riiight ,” A. agreed. “A backyard barbeque.”

“That’s not very reassuring,” Tim said.

“Don’t you worry your bowl –  cutted head, Tim,” Patience claimed. “We want  y’all to get dressed tomorrow. Since  y’all have become new parents,  y’all haven’t been out in public much I’m sure.  Y’all really deserve a  treat !! Let’s go out to shop, hang out at the food court, and maybe catch a movie while we’re out !!”

“I guess it wouldn’t be too bad,” Tim answered. “I mean, the last time any of us had left the house was when you sent me to get coffee and another box of diapers.”

Jane noticed herself in the reflection of the window. She hadn’t had a self – care shower in a few days, they’ve all been super utilitarian, which meant a simple hair wash and a quick body wash, rather than a shave, moisturizer session, face scrub, the whole nine yards. She even noticed a bit of wispy hairs above her top lip, and knew she would have to wax it soon  ( lip sweat, you  know ? ). Good thing she had wax strips in the medicine cabinet for emergency situations like this one. Her legs were hairy, and she was not going to lift her arms to check her armpits.

She looked at Tim to see that even he looked to be in bad shape. It had probably been days since he had applied wrinkle cream under his eyes because his bags were prominent. His hair had started to grow a little wild under his  bowlcut . For the first time in a long time, he actually had dark circles.

“ So we’ll see you at the mall  tomorrow ? ” Patience asked.

“We’ll see you there,” Tim confirmed.

“I’ve already started on the flowers !!” A. exclaimed.

Then A. and Patience hung up.

“I hope they don’t try to order  kois from Japan,” Jane said. “Where would they even put  them ? The bathtub ?”

“Let’s hope they keep it small,” Tim responded. “I don’t want to do this whole wedding thing all over again. Once was enough for me, besides, I really don’t like being the center of attention.”

“That makes two of us,” Jane agreed. “Sure, the spotlight is nice for a little bit, but we don’t really need it right now, you  know ? ”

“Yeah, and I don’t know how Taffeta will do with her schedule being messed up for so long,” Tim claimed. “She was really cranky today since we were in the lawyer’s office.”

“Well, there wasn’t really much in there to look at, it was all beige and boring,” Jane claimed. “She’s used to looking around in here, where there’s color, and other things to see.”

Tim chuckled at her observation. The apartment was beige, so thankfully they moved from that place  ( I mean, Tim always wanted to move out of there, because the whole crime rate thing; for cosmos sake, they literally had a shootout in the apartment next door. ). Jane still decorated the apartment, and you could tell that it was Jane that decorated, because there was actual artwork and pictures on the wall, and not hockey posters or portraits of  FemSports models on the wall. That’s what Troy would’ve chosen to decorate the house with. He was a very complex man in Tim’s mind, and not in a good way.

He got mad that Jane rarely cleaned the house, even though she was the breadwinner of the family and was the only one with a real job. He would ogle other women, when Jane was right there  ( call Tim biased, but he believed that Jane was quite the catch in a lot of different  departments ) . He would constantly pressure Jane with things that made her uncomfortable, and he would go and sleep with other women before he blamed it all on her for ‘not doing her job as a woman’, or something super mean and spiteful like that. He was an  all around jerk, and Tim was glad that Jane finally came to her senses, thankfully, she let him go. It was about time both Willoughby siblings let go of their toxic partners.

“Aren’t you glad we  moved ? ” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” she answered. “I miss the city, but it’s pretty cozy here, and I get to share it with two of my most favorite people, along with the best two kitties in the entire world.”

Tim nodded in agreement, before he went through the packet for a domestic partnership, printed his name where need be, and signed on the lines. He spun back around in his office chair, before he stood and walked to Jane.

“So, I guess there’s something I should ask you,” he claimed.

Tim got down on one knee and held her hand to him, he looked up at his sister and smiled.

“Would you make me the happiest man alive and enter a platonic, domestic partnership with me ?”

Jane snorted at his corniness, before she nodded.

“Is that how you proposed to  Queen ? ” she asked.

“Perhaps . . . so would you ?”

She nodded once again.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Tim put the pen in her hand, because she also had to sign the papers that would then allow them to legally be partners in life. At least this meant that they had legal support, within insurances, property, among other things that most married people had access to. It also meant that they were a step closer to Tim being on the birth certificate as Taffeta’s father. 

“ ’Cause I don’t really think you have a choice if we’re going to get me on the certificate,” he explained. “Here, I got her while you fill out the boring adult paperwork.”

Tim took Taffeta from Jane’s arms, and Jane sat at the desk and filled out the necessary lines and boxes.

“I don’t get a  ring ? ” Jane asked.

“I don’t have one on me,” Tim commented. “I mean, unless you want a keychain, I’m sure there’s one from the factory in my desk somewhere.”

“This is the worst domestic partnership I’ve ever been in !!” she joked. “I mean, a ring would’ve made it all better, since we didn’t really want to do this in the first place.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Tim claimed. “We both weren’t really planning on getting married to anyone else anytime soon,  right ? I don’t think things are really going to change, since we already live together, share equal responsibility in bills and finances, have a kid together – Let's look at it realistically, bringing more people into our current situation would just complicate things.”

“ So you’re even okay with being single  still ? ” Jane asked. “I thought you would’ve wanted to pursue other people. That Maisie Archer girl from work comments on almost all of your Pictogram posts.”

“Maisie and I are friends,” Tim commented. “It’s not like that.”

“Well, you better tell her that, because it would be awful if she thinks you like her, and then feels like she was led on by you,” Jane suggested. “It really ruins a girl’s self – esteem when that happens, and it could be very awkward in the workplace if you let her think those things.”

“I guess I have to,” Tim claimed. “I really don’t want a relationship right now, and on top of that, with a domestic partnership, you can’t get married, because this acts like a substitute for a legal marriage.”

“So, we are kind of getting  married ? ” Jane asked. “How freaking ironic.”

Tim laughed at the situation himself as he also realized the irony in the situation. They had spent so long as they shut down dirty jokes and sly comments about their current situation, only to end up in something that resembled a marriage  ( it wasn’t like the relationship was going to become anything more than what it currently was, Tim and Jane were still platonic, and that’s how it was going to stay. ).

“Story of our lives,” he agreed. “At least it’ll all work out in the end. We don’t have to tell everyone we know about our situation. If all goes according to plan, meaning that A. and Patience actually cooperate and they don’t blow this whole thing out of proportion, then we won’t have to tell everyone.”

“Let’s hope we can count on them to not make a big deal out of this,” Jane sighed. “I’d rather not have to answer an entire press conference about our personal life.”

“Me either,” he yawned. “I think I’m going to head up to bed, and change Taffeta into her pajamas. You coming up anytime soon ?”

Jane stretched and nodded.

“When I’m done with this paperwork,” she said. “I’ll be up there before you know it.”

Tim carried Taffeta up the stairs and into her nursery, where he laid her on the changing table.

Her eyes started to open, and once she fully adjusted to the scenery, her face scrunched up and she started to cry for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. It wasn’t a blood curdling cry, but Tim knew if he didn’t get this change done and over with promptly, then it would be one. Who knew how long it would take to soothe her and get her calm enough for bedtime ?

Tim rocked her stomach and hushed to her.

“Hey, hey, lima bean,” he whispered. “Hey, it’s okay, poppa knows you’re having a bad day today.”

Tim left her momentarily, as his back began to sweat at the sound of her desperate sobs to be picked back up. He felt panic bubble inside him as he looked through the footie pajamas in the drawer, before he pulled one out that was white and covered in grey stars. Tim rushed back to the changing table before he pulled off the little grey and white striped leggings and unbuttoned the plain white onesie she wore.

Taffeta kicked her little legs and continued to squawk and squeal as Tim hurriedly changed her diaper, and applied lavender scented lotion  ( to encourage sleep and silky - smooth baby  skin ) to her body. Eventually she was changed into her pajamas and was once again picked up by Tim.

He let off a whimper as he carried her around the room, and bounced her in his arms, as he shushed her in an attempt to get her to calm down, but he knew that at this point, it was definitely too late and she was more than likely over – tired  ( as she missed most of her set naps that  day ) , among many other things. She was probably hungry again ( even though Jane just got done feeding her a few minutes ago, so it wasn’t  reccomended to make her yet another bottle or she may stuff herself, because she doesn’t know when to stop eating. ), or maybe outright uncomfortable. It truly was a bad day for her, but he was there to get her through it.

“Uhm, okay . . . let’s try . . .  _ twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are _ . . .” he sang.

It didn’t seem to work as she kicked her little legs against his chest and she continued to cry.

“ _ Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky  _ . . .” he continued.

Still, no response to signify that his song calmed her in any sort of way as she still continued to cry and wriggle in discontent.

Tim sighed and sat down in the soft, egg – resemblant rocking chair. He put his feet forward and started to rock her in his arms and continued to hum the melodies of nursery rhymes and lullabies. He interrupted himself with a yawn and that only caused Taffeta to cry even harder.

“I wish I knew how to help you, honey,” Tim whined. “It’s been a rough day for all of us.”

Of course, she didn’t understand his words, as she still continued to screech and cry for more than one reason alone.

Tim whimpered to himself as she wailed against him, unsure of what to do at that point. He knew Jane would be upset if he just let her cry herself to sleep  ( and even he felt that would be far too mean . ) , but he didn’t know what else to do in the moment.

He looked to see that Jane peeked around the corner of the doorway, before she walked into the room, and took Taffeta away from Tim, and she carried their distraught baby girl around the room and started to hum her own melody, and it seemed to actually do something as Taffeta’s cries became quieter.

“ _ Through the glass, over the wall, looking for something  _ _ ne _ _ w _ **__ ** . . .” Jane sang softly. “ _ Wake from the dream, forget about the past, at the end of the rainbow is you  _ . . .”

Tim noticed the words instantly and felt an odd warmth in his chest, since the words were connected to such a sad memory, but one that comforted him. He held onto his chest as he reminisced about when they flew the dirigible to  Sveezterlund ( which Lars insisted was pronounced ‘Switzerland’, but even though the man was European, there was no way the Swede could be right about everything . ) , and how the only person that comforted him and the  Barnabys was Jane. She was the main consistent thing in his life. He really was glad that he was now kind of stuck with her, at least for a good while.

“ _ What’s in a name, a familiar  _ _ refrain  _ ? _ We all play our roles in a box full of holes _ . . .” she continued. “ _ When the future is lost, and the lines have been crossed, I know where I’ll be _ . . .”

Taffeta no longer screamed, she seemed peaceful and content. Neither Willoughby sibling really trusted that she was quite asleep yet, so Jane didn’t stop just yet, until they heard the soft, little baby snores that she would let out when she was dead asleep.

“ _ Through the lows and the highs, I will stay by your side, there’s no need for goodbyes, I’m seeing the  _ _ light _ . . .” she muttered. “ _ When the skies turn to grey, and there’s nothing to say, at the end of the day  _ . . .”

Jane brought Taffeta towards her face, before she planted a soft peck on her baby’s forehead.

“ _ I choose you _ . . .”

Tim got up from the rocking chair before he went to Jane and Taffeta. He smiled at the sound of the soothing piggy snorts that came from Taffeta as she slept against Jane’s chest. He jumped slightly when Jane planted a peck on his cheek, but he was unsure if that was due to the action itself or that he was that exhausted.

“ _ I choose you _ . . .” she sang into his ear.

He couldn’t help but to smile and even let off a giggle at the last part of her song. It gave him the warm and fuzzies on the inside.

“You ready for  bed ? ” she asked.

“You better believe it,” he answered. “Now we’re back to the grind tomorrow – well, hopefully it won’t be such a rough day tomorrow, since we’re going to the mall, but let’s cross our fingers that all goes well.”

“Definitely,” Jane agreed. “Fingers crossed.”

Both siblings walked to the bedroom, and Jane set Taffeta down in the co – sleeper, as Tim went to his closet and pulled out a t – shirt that he got from a hockey game he went to with Queen’s brothers and a pair of grey sweatpants that he changed into ( after he took the things such as his wallet, phone, and keys out of his pockets and set them on the nightstand ) before he climbed in bed next to Taffeta. Jane went into the bathroom and returned with a wax strip that she took downstairs to heat up in the microwave.

Tim grabbed his phone from the nightstand and plugged it into the charger, before he could scroll through his social medias one last time before bed. He saw things like plates of food, cat videos other people posted, advertisements for waist trainers or jelly soaps  ( which wouldn’t be a bad idea for a birthday present for Patience, as her birthday was in two months, as well as Nanny’s but he had already ordered her a cookbook by one of her favorite T.V chefs . ) . Then he came across Queen’s post about  her’s and Dorian’s baby.

Tim furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the post she had. Their baby was on a blanket that had her name, ‘Whitney Monroe Kennicott – Johnson’, written across the top in calligraphy. There was a little heart bracelet on the side over the number zero, before Tim noticed that the numbers meant months. He couldn’t have been bothered to read the caption, because while he was now pretty much over his divorce and Queen, he didn’t particularly care about her. He was happy she moved on to what she truly wanted, and that was it. They didn’t need to be involved or even concerned with what the other was doing anymore.

This post, however, triggered an idea on him. He reached over and put his hand on Taffeta’s side  ( Doctor Csupo recommended that Taffeta lay on her side to prevent hair thinning among other  things ) , before he took a quick picture of her back and uploaded it to Pictogram with a caption of a heart emoji and the hashtag ‘dad life’.

He smiled at his picture before he felt a weight be pressed down on his stomach and he looked up to see that Jane had sat on top of him and she had pushed her wax strip of mustache hair into his face. He scowled at it before he looked back up at her.

“You can grow a mustache, we get it,” he commented.

“No, but look at how much hair came out !!” she whispered.

He saw about six wispy mustache hairs on the strip, much like the mustache she got when they were all young. He was sure it would be glorious if she let it grow out, but once they got into school, she started to shave it, until she got old enough, then she resorted to waxing. She even mentioned undergoing laser hair removal, just so she didn’t have to constantly keep waxing her upper lip.

Tim didn’t quite understand why she wanted to get rid of it so badly. He would gladly let his upper lip be drenched in sweat if that meant he could have a spectacular mustache like their great – uncle Edmund. It was a symbol of Willoughby greatness !!

“ Cool ? ” he questioned.

“It’s super cool to look at,” she confirmed. “Just wait until I do a blackhead strip, those things pull out so many blackheads, it looks like a forest on the strip when you peel it off !!”

“Women have weird fascinations,” Tim commented. “Patience showed me those videos of that dermatologist that pops pimples for a living, and apparently, Patience says the best ones are the ‘port of whiners’, whatever that means.”

“Okay, I think zit popping is a little gross, especially the ones that are all wet and stuff,” Jane agreed. “But when a good blackhead is popped ?”

“I still don’t get the appeal,” Tim repeated.

“I should let you pop some on my back,” Jane suggested. “Then you’ll get the appeal, and I might not be able to pull you away from your phone because you’ll be too busy watching pimple popping videos.”

Tim grimaced at the thought of popping Jane’s  bacne . He barely even enjoyed his own acne, why would he want to pop  hers ?

“Pass,” he answered.

She pushed on him and giggled.

“You are the worst fake husband ever,” she joked.

He chuckled at the statement, and shook his head.

“Let me whip out my  FemSports magazine posters, then we’ll really get the party started, honey,” he teased.

She  unstraddled his lap and got on her side of the bed, only to have both Smokey and Grandpa join her.

Smokey curled up at the end of the bed, under Jane’s feet, and Grandpa made his place under Taffeta’s co – sleeper.

“Good night,  **_ darling _ ** ,” Tim dismissed.

He put his phone back on the nightstand, before he curled up under the blankets and flipped to face the bathroom door. He smiled as he felt her hand reach over and grab his under the blankets.

“Good night,  **_ dear _ ** .”


	3. A Day Out

◜ ◝ 

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 : 

𝔸 𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝕆𝕦𝕥 

◟ ◞ 

Jane helped Tim put Taffeta into the baby carrier that both parents made fun of other parents for wearing. The reasoning behind a baby carrier was quite logical, but it was still a rather dumb accessory to both parents. Still, it was easier to wear a baby carrier rather than pack an entire stroller or carry her car – seat, and there was no way they were going to trust a mall rental stroller with their baby. Jane also put the backpack they used as a diaper bag onto his back, as it would be a little dumb to have him carry the baby, but not the diaper bag. 

They went inside the mall, to see that A. and Patience had already arrived, and they sat at a table next to an ice cream booth, as they sappily shared a chocolate milkshake ( two straws and everything ). The older two joined them in their booth. 

“Hey y’all,” Patience greeted. “You look nice, Jane !! Did you do somethin’ different with your hair ?” 

Jane swept a stray strand of hair back behind her ear and smiled. 

“Brushed it,” she answered. “I had the best shower I’ve ever had in weeks. I used a rose and vanilla scented body scrub that I’d been meaning to use for a while, but that little one right there doesn’t like to shower longer than five minutes.” 

“Tim, you could always take Taffeta from the shower and let Jane enjoy herself,” Patience commented. 

“And risk seeing her naked ?” A. asked. “Pass.” 

“I have to agree with A. on this one,” Tim added. “If I saw all of that, it would make the next month between us kind of weird, to say the very least.” 

“Oh, grow up,” Jane responded. “Patience has a point, just grab the baby and go.” 

“Ew !!” Both men exclaimed. 

Both of the women sighed in response. 

“So, what did you have planned for today ?” Jane asked. 

“Oh, Tim !!” Patience exclaimed. “I had something I wanted to show you, it was this thing, and nobody else can see it !!” 

“Can I see it ?’ A. asked. 

“It’s a surprise !!” Patience exclaimed. “You, my darlin’, aren’t good at keepin’ secrets.” 

“No fair,” A. commented. 

“Don’t you have somethin’ you need to show Jane, hon’ ?” Patience asked. 

“No.” 

“I’m sure you do !!” 

“No ?” 

Patience squinted at him. It was obvious that she attempted to get through to her husband and tell him that she wanted him to keep Jane away from wherever she and Tim were headed. Jane connected the dots their brother was too oblivious to figure out. 

“So, Tim, do you wanna go see the thing ?” Patience asked. 

“Uh, sure ?” Tim answered. 

He slid out of the booth, and allowed for Patience to slide out with him and she took the lead of where they were headed. 

Jane looked at A., who continued to try and drink the thick and chunky milkshake out of the straw. She squinted as Patience and Tim turned the corner to go onto whatever floor this certain surprise was on. 

“You want to follow them ?” Jane asked. 

“Yeah,” he responded. “What surprise do they have planned that I can’t know about ? It’s fishy.” 

“Fishy indeed.” Jane agreed. “Let’s go.” 

The next pair of Willoughby siblings got up from the booth and went the same direction that Patience and Tim went, though somehow, both of them managed to disappear in the crowd of people. 

“Who knows where they went ?” A. asked. 

“Well, we could always start here, and then work our way up to the fourth floor,” Jane suggested. “It’s not like they can hide from us forever !!” 

\--- 

“Where are we going ?” Tim asked. 

Both he and Patience were on the elevator, packed like sardines in a can with other people. 

“You’ll see,” Patience answered. 

He bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down at Taffeta, who was still fast asleep in the baby carrier, as to be expected, since she was only a little over a week old. It posed the question he periodically asked himself, since most newborns didn’t do anything – how old was Ruth when they found her on their doorstep all those years ago, because Taffeta and Ruth were two extremely different babies. Ruth could crawl, and Taffeta could barely support her own head. 

They got off on the fourth floor, and he stuck next to Patience’s side. They went into a clothing store and Patience went to the women’s section to browse the articles of clothing on display. 

“There ain’t nothin’ for big girls in here,” she complained. “I need somethin’ to keep everythin’ covered.” 

“Couldn’t you have brought A. along for this ?” Tim asked. 

“Oh, you hush now,” Patience commented. “This’ all part of our plan.” 

“ **_Our_ **plan ?” Tim asked. “What exactly are we planning ?” 

“I can’t tell you right now !!” Patience exclaimed. “You’re gonna have to see when we get there !!” 

Tim went to another part of the store that had things like sunglasses in it and looked through the sunglasses as Patience looked for something she wanted to buy. He found a pair of sunglasses the kids called ‘clout goggles’, and unfolded the rims before he put them on Taffeta’s face. He chuckled as he slid his phone out his pocket and took a picture of Taffeta with the sunglasses on before he sent it to Jane and put the sunglasses back. 

Patience came over to him, and motioned for him to follow her, as she had a bag with the store’s logo on the side. It was about a medium sized paper bag, and Tim couldn’t tell what was inside. 

“C’mon Tim,” Patience insisted. “We better get goin’ before A. and Jane get all suspicious of where we are.” 

“Okay ?” 

He followed Patience out of the store, and to their next stop. 

\--- 

Jane looked at her phone as a text message came in. She couldn’t help but to giggle at the picture of their baby in the sunglasses, before she tugged on A.’s shoulder for him to stop and see the picture of the baby. 

“Aw, look at her !!” Jane squealed. 

“Hang on,” A. paused. “Isn’t that NewDay Yoga ?” 

“Oh, wait, it is !!” Jane agreed. “That means they’re on the top floor !!” 

“What kind of surprise do you think would be at NewDay Yoga ?” A. asked. “Unless she just wanted to go shopping away from me. I know Tim likes shopping more than I do, and going into NewDay is so boring when you don’t wear yoga pants, or do yoga.” 

“Well, yoga pants are comfy,” Jane claimed. “They’re soft, and they like . . . hug your body ?” 

“There’s no room in them !!” A. insisted. 

“Room for what ?” Jane asked. 

She looked to her brother and he folded his arms and rose an eyebrow to insinuate that there wasn’t room for a **_guy_ **in yoga pants. 

“Oh . . .” Jane sighed. 

“Why else do you think most guys wear sweatpants for ? We can’t just go to the gym in sweatpants,” A. explained. “Especially me, because, you know ?” 

He then proceeded to pat himself on the butt. 

“Oh my god,” Jane groaned. “What - **_ever_ **.” 

He snickered in response before he stopped in front of a lemonade stand called ‘Allie’s Lemonade’. 

“Want something to drink ?” A. asked. 

“I could go for something,” Jane claimed. “All this super spy work is kind of making me thirsty.” 

He turned to the stand and started to order two mega sized lemonades for both him and Jane. 

He handed Jane her cup of lemonade as they went to the elevator to head to NewDay Yoga on the top floor, but when they arrived, Tim and Patience were long gone. 

“Where could they have gone next ?” A. asked. “What did Patience even buy in here ?” 

“I don’t know ?” Jane answered. “I didn’t know Patience did yoga.” 

“She doesn’t,” A. commented. “What would she even come in here for ? Does Tim do yoga, do you ? Maybe they were going to buy one of us yoga pants or something ?” 

“You hate yoga pants,” Jane reminded. “Wouldn’t your wife know that about you ?” 

“There’s a lot of things I haven’t told her,” A. claimed. “I could be living a secret double life, and nobody would even know.” 

“Are you ?” Jane asked. 

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“No,” A. answered. “I’m me, no matter where I am.” 

\--- 

Patience opened the door to a jewelry store on the second floor, and lead Tim inside the warm, dimly lit room. Most of the light was from the jewelry lights, and the reflection of light off the various rings, necklaces, bracelets, among other things. 

“Surprise,” she whispered. 

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why was a jewelry store a surprise ? Was she going to buy him something ? He looked at her, still incredibly perplexed. 

“Why are we here ?” he asked. 

She clicked her tongue and gasped as she put her hands on her hips. 

“You Willoughby men are super oblivious, aren’t you ?” she asked. “I brought you here so you could get **_Jane_ ** a **_ring_ **.” 

Tim jolted as he felt his entire body heat up at the idea. He looked around the room, as the panic bubbled inside of him. Why did he need to do that ? He didn’t need to do that !! Rings were just a cute way of showing off a metaphoric ball and chain. He couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or nervous, but he definitely felt like he was about to vomit all over the store’s floor. 

“What’s gotten into you ?” she asked. 

“I can’t get her a ring !!” he squeaked. “She’d be embarrassed !!” 

“What would she be embarrassed for ?” Patience asked. “It’s not an engagement ring.” 

“The idea of a ring is engagement, Patience !!” Tim exclaimed. “I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable with the idea of this and back out. I want to be on the birth certificate, that’s all. I get you want to have fun with this, but there’s a point where -” 

“Tim, listen to me,” Patience interrupted. “It’s not an engagement ring. It’s a present. It’s something nice to resemble that you guys are in this together. I’m not saying to pick a diamond, I’m saying pick something that’s very . . . Jane. Pick something that reminds you of her, to show that you truly are in this with her. If anything, you can say you tried.” 

“I don’t know, Patience,” Tim sighed. “I don’t want to make it into something it isn’t.” 

“You don’t need to make this big thing out of it,” Patience explained. “You don’t need get down on your knee in public and ask her, you don’t have to do no flash mob proposal, it’s fine if you do it y’all’s way. Do it quiet if that’s what you want, but still, I’m sure she would appreciate it.” 

Tim pulled out his phone and texted Jane, just so he could get a vague idea of what she wanted in a ring. 

“You better not have texted her !!” Patience exclaimed. 

Tim gave her a nervous smile and showed her his phone. 

“Too late ?” 

\--- 

Jane and A. sat on a bench in the mall as they sipped on their lemonades. Jane looked up at the lingerie store in front of them, and knitted her eyebrows in inquiry as she looked at the different sets on the mannequins in the window. A., however, looked far away from the store, at the video game store that was a few stores down. 

“Maybe I could use my points on my gamer card to buy a D.L.C on the game I’m playing,” A. commented. “There’s this new skin that came out, and I kind of want it.” 

Jane didn’t quite get what he was talking about, because she wasn’t particularly interested in video games. She liked life simulator games, and had a mobile version of her favorite life simulator on her phone, but she didn’t have the interest to put it on the home computer. 

“I got my last perfume from in there,” Jane commented. 

She pointed at the lingerie store. 

“They sell perfume in those places ?” A. asked. “I normally buy Patience’s perfumes from the internet, and maybe, if I find a nice smelling one, Save – Mart.” 

“They have some that have glitter in there,” Jane explained. “I’m sure that Patience would love one with glitter.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure she would,” A. agreed. “Maybe we should get them a surprise too, since they’re trying to surprise us with something.” 

Jane laughed at the thought. Maybe it would’ve been nice to get them something. They were all at the mall after all. It had been awhile since she had gotten Tim a new watch ( It was last Christmas, but even then, it was currently late April of the next year, so it truly had been awhile ), and maybe he might enjoy another. This also gives her the excuse to sniff at new perfumes she didn’t get the chance to smell last time she came and bought some. 

“Do you want to go and look at the perfumes with me ?” Jane asked. 

“Wouldn’t it be weird to see a guy like . . . me, in there ?” A. asked. 

“It’s only as weird as you make it,” Jane commented. “Besides, you’re not in there for you, you’re in there for Patience. I’m sure other people would understand that.” 

He got up and they both went into the store together ( A. kept his eyes down until they reached the perfume shelves. ), and eventually they made it to where the perfume shelves were. The glass shelves were stocked with pretty bottles and hues of pink that ranged from bubblegum to magenta. 

“Here’s one of the sparkily ones,” Jane said. 

She handed A. a bottle with one of those squeeze ball dispensers and he promptly sprayed it directly into his face, and was now covered in the smell of vanilla cupcakes along with gratuitous amounts of shimmer. 

“A. !!” Jane exclaimed. 

He coughed at the overwhelming scent that filled his mouth and nose, before he sneezed. It brought the attention of one of the employees, as she came to greet Jane and A.. 

“Welcome to Jada’s Entanglement,” the employee greeted. “Is there anything I can help you find today ?” 

“Something that won’t spray in my face ?” A. joked. 

“You did that to yourself,” Jane commented. “We’re trying to pick a perfume out for his wife. He’s not really a perfume savvy kind of guy, so, you think you can help him out ?” 

“That’s what I’m here for !!” the employee enthused. “Is there anything specific you want in a perfume ?” 

“Something sparkly that smells nice ?” A. answered. 

“Is there a specific scent ?” the employee asked. “Do you want to go towards more flowery scents, fruity scents, sweet scents ?” 

“Do you have anything that has glitter and smells like pie ?” A. questioned. 

“We have plenty of berry scented perfumes, which I think smell a lot like certain pies,” the employee explained. “Take this one for example, we call it ‘Peach Emoji’, and it smells so much like peach cobbler on a summer day, while also coming with a cute peach shaped bottle, and gold – ish bronze glitter.” 

“I’ll take it,” A. said. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to look at our other -?” 

“No, I like that one.” 

Jane put down one labeled as ‘Bunny’ as she felt her phone buzz once more. She opened her phone to see another text from Tim. 

“What kind of rings do you like ?” 

The alarms went off in her head as A. bought the perfume for Patience. She went to the checkout counter, as A. talked to the employee about getting an Entanglement rewards card that he ended up accepting ( probably so he could buy more nice perfumes for Patience in the future ). 

“A., they’re in a jewelry store,” Jane commented. 

“What ?” he asked. 

“They’re in a jewelry store,” she repeated. “Tim’s asking about what kind of rings I like.” 

“That must be the surprise !!” A. exclaimed. “Oh my god, what if he proposes to you like . . . here ?” 

Jane felt her muscles tense. She loved when she and Tim would joke around, but at the same time, she didn’t want the joke to go too far. A present is one thing, but unwanted and definitely unwelcomed attention is something completely different !! She had to stop him before he did something weird !! 

“We have to find them,” Jane stated. “Like **_now_ **.” 

“But what about the -?” 

“Hurry up with the perfume,” Jane whined. “There’s about eight jewelry stores in here, and I don’t know which one they’re at !!” 

\--- 

“You’re sure Jane won’t find this to be too weird ?” Tim asked. 

“I’m sure you worry too much,” Patience insisted. “I think it’s a beautiful ring, and she’s a fancy gal. She’ll love it !! I know I do !!” 

Tim looked at the ring in the box, under the jewelry lighting. The reflection off the princess cut diamond ring was enough to wake Taffeta up. He started to bounce on the tips of his toes as she started to whimper and squeak, to prevent her from screeching and drawing attention to him as he bought this ring. He then slowed as he saw the sight of the twinkles comforted her, even if she couldn’t see them quite clearly yet. 

Maybe this was the perfect ring ? 

“I mean, it is pretty,” he agreed. “Just . . . for **_Jane_ **?” 

“Look, even Taffeta likes it,” Patience pointed out. “If she likes it, I’m sure her momma will too.” 

Patience might’ve had a point, as hair – brained as said point was. This could’ve been a sign that it wasn’t such a bad or weird thing to get Jane a present. He’s gotten her presents before !! What would be so wrong with getting her another one ? It wasn’t like he was going to swoop down onto one knee ( and he was sure he couldn’t do that without his kneecap breaking or something along those lines. ), have balloons fall from the air, and have a sappy love song play over the speakers. He could simply hand Jane the ring box. 

Love quietly. 

“I guess you have a point,” he sighed. “I could just hand her the box. It shouldn’t be such a big deal – It's never been one before.” 

“Let’s get her that ring,” Patience stated. “And then maybe get ourselves a celebration pretzel. Twist - ‘Em - Ups is right across from here.” 

Tim paid for the ring, even though his body tensed at the price of said ring, before he followed Patience out to the pretzel booth right across from there. 

“Do you think A. and Jane moved from the ice cream booth ?” Patience asked. 

“Let me ask you this,” Tim started. “Do you think A. can sit still that long ?” 

“You got me there,” Patience chuckled. “We should probably text them to see where they are.” 

He pulled out his phone again and texted Jane, to ask where they were, so they could meet them wherever they were at. Maybe they could buy A. and Jane a pretzel while they were there. 

He and Patience went up to the booth and ordered four soft pretzels with the gooey cheese that you could dip them in, before Tim checked his phone again to see if Jane had texted him back. 

\--- 

Jane stopped and panted once they reached the fourth jewelry store. She put her hand on her forehead. This seemed impossible !! What if Patience and Tim found them first ? She felt A.’s hand on her back. 

“Maybe it might not be as bad as we think it is,” he soothed. “I . . . I hope he has a little more common sense than that.” 

On the inside, A. wanted to say that he doubted it. After the wedding, A.’s trust in his brother had dropped. He wanted to convince himself that Tim messed up once, because he got it. That happened. Everyone messed up at least once. They were all human. He didn’t want to not trust his brother, he cared about him !! Sometimes it was just . . . hard. 

She looked up from the ground before she saw a shining platinum watch in the display case of the jewelry store. She knew she wanted to find Tim long before he found her, but that watch really spoke to her . . . he would love that. She walked to the store and looked at the window. 

“Maybe if you get him a present too, then it won’t be as awkward,” A. suggested. “It would be like a ‘I scratch your back if you scratch mine’ kind of thing.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jane agreed. “It would be more of an exchange than anything, then it won’t be something that it’s not supposed to be.” 

“Let’s get that watch,” A. insisted. 

Both she and A. walked into the store, and she immediately went to the counter. Jane ignored her phone as it buzzed. She walked up to the man at the cash register. 

“Can I buy that watch in the window ?” she asked. “That platinum one.” 

“One moment,” the man said. 

He went to get the watch from the window, for Jane to look at before she paid for it. 

She looked to A., who looked at the various bracelets and necklaces that sat on the middle kiosk. 

He picked a box up and looked at the necklace inside in the mirror of the kiosk, as Jane paid for the watch. 

He felt his phone buzz as he put the box down and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see that Patience had text him as well. He opened the text and looked at Jane before he read it. 

“Patience - Hey hon’, I don’t know if Jane’s phone’s dead or what, but Tim’s been trying to get a hold of her for the past thirty minutes and she hasn’t said a word back to him about anything. We’re at the movies, and we’re about to buy tickets to ‘Our Ginormous Romani Wedding’; that romantic – comedy ? Meet us down by the movies. It starts in twenty !! I love you !!” 

He looked to Jane and furrowed his eyebrows. 

She walked over with the bag before she sighed. She knew that they had to go and face both Tim and Patience eventually, all she could hope for is that Patience didn’t hype him up to do anything stupid like she would with anyone else. 

She walked close to A. as they walked out of the jewelry store and to the movie theater on the first floor. 

\--- 

Tim bounced Taffeta in the carrier as they waited next to the concession stand and he looked to Patience, who handed him the ring, so he could hide it in the baby carrier. Taffeta lazily grabbed a hold of the box and covered it up for the most part. 

“I wonder what’s takin’ them so long ?” Patience asked. “Do you think they went up to the top floor ? I mean Game Gallery is up there, and A.’s been wantin’ to go.” 

“And Jada’s Entanglement is somewhere up there,” Tim claimed. “Jane gets perfume from there.” 

“I thought they only sold britches in there,” Patience commented. “Maybe I might have to check out their perfumes. I’m runnin’ out of the one I normally use.” 

“Jane bought this one awhile back that smelled like mint,” Tim responded. “I may or may not’ve used it a few times myself.” 

“Aw, so you could smell her at work ?” Patience teased. 

“Hey, it smelled really good !!” he defended. 

He paused for a little and looked around at the movie posters as well as the posters for concession foods like popcorn, sodas, hot dogs, and all that. 

“And sometimes the days get hard,” he added, absentmindedly. 

“I know the feeling,” she agreed. “I smell A.’s jackets when he’s gone for a long time, or when he has to work at his second job. Sometimes it gets lonely, bein’ in the bed by myself.” 

“I know,” Tim said. “Cuddle buddies are really underrated.” 

“Look, there they are !!” Patience exclaimed. 

She waved A. and Jane over as they came inside the door. She noticed they also had bags from Jada’s Entanglement and the jewelry store ( Bexley Diamond Co., to be exact. ). 

Tim smiled as they joined them. He held out a medium sided bag of popcorn, along with a medium Angel Kiss cola, and a bag of individually wrapped chocolates to Jane as she came up to him. 

“I got you food,” he greeted. 

“Oh, you didn’t have to,” she remarked. 

“Jane, it’s a movie,” he reminded. “I know you’re going to get hungry after the advertisements.” 

“I got you a perfume,” A. told Patience. “It smells like peaches. Has glitter. I thought you’d like it.” 

Patience took the bag from him and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

“Thank you, darlin’ !!” she exclaimed. “I was just tellin’ Tim that I wanted to go and check it out. I never even knew they sold perfume in there !!” 

“Me either !!” A. responded. “I thought they only sold underwear in there !!” 

Tim looked down to see that Jane had put a small box up to his face, but she didn’t look at him. 

“What’s this ?” he asked. 

“Just take it,” she insisted. “I saw it and thought you might like it.” 

He took the box from her hand and rose an eyebrow before he opened it up. He beamed when he saw that it was another watch. It could go well in contrast to the gold watch that he normally wear. 

“Wow, Jane !!” he exclaimed. “This is – It's amazing !! Thank you !! I got you something too -” 

“Not out here !!” she whined. “Please ?” 

“Hey guys, you coming ?” A. asked. “Let’s try and get some good seats. I love to sit in the back so I don’t have to bend my neck all the way back.” 

“Uhm, we’ll catch up with you guys,” Tim claimed. “You go ahead.” 

Patience and A. handed them their tickets so they wouldn’t have to wait for someone to bring them when they got to the ticket tearing booth. 

Jane looked around the room to see that barely anybody was around, except for the employees, and a few people. She shielded her face from the people that filed into the room, as she didn’t want to get more flustered than she already was. 

Tim took out the ring box from the baby carrier and held the ring box out to her. No kneeling, no huge displays, nothing. 

“Open it,” he insisted. 

Jane felt her face brighten due to the nature of what was going on, but nobody cared. Nobody paid attention. She opened the box and was greeted by the ring. Then she stopped trying to hide, because she couldn’t help but to smile. 

It was pretty. 

“Taffeta stopped crying when she saw it,” Tim explained. “And I didn’t want to be the worst domestic partner in the world, so . . . I got you that.” 

She slid it onto her finger and shook her head, before she wondered to herself why she cared so much about what other people thought. She didn’t have to. It was a symbol of their relationship, even if their relationship wasn’t what people thought it was. It was theirs, and that was what was important. 

Jane wrapped him in a hug, before she tilted her head down to plant a kiss on their baby’s head. 

“It’s beautiful,” she claimed. “Thank you.” 


End file.
